Killer Instinct
by tulip-tnt-28
Summary: They're all dead, and now she must fight for her life. Summary Sux Please R&R :D
1. Chapter 1

**Hi peeps! I have something special for you. This idea came to me after watching a CSI rerun, browsing my bookshelf, and eating a chocolate doughnut. This fic will be somewhat based off of one of my favorite books**_**, **_**and an episode of CSI. The book is amazing, if you like calculate/not so calculated murders, kidnapping, assault, and psycho bullshit. I'm not going to give the book title just yet, but I will eventually. Yep it's all here. I know I probably shouldn't be writing anything else, but I just can't help myself :D …. Please forgive any booboos, because I am just terrible at writing, and ENJOY!**

***I don't own anything especially Glee**

**Chapter 1**

**Welcome Home**

**X0X0X0X0X0**

"Are you sure they won't mind." Mercedes asked her best friend who was currently driving.

"I'm positive Mercedes, just calm down, they will love you." A petite brunette said with a large smile.

"I could have just stayed at our apartment and spent the holiday alone." She was doing it again, trying to shut the world out.

"What would you have done besides stay in bed all day watching MASH reruns and eating peanut butter out of the jar." The curvy girl huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Damn that girl for knowing her so well.

"I could have went to a club or gone on a date with that Noah guy." Her friend was right, but that didn't mean she needed to know. She shuddered at the thought of Noah Puckerman. He was a decent enough guy, but he was relentless in his pursuit of the chocolate skinned girl.

"Lies, your anxiety acts up in crowed places, and Noah has been trying to 'holla' at you for the past two years, but you never once acknowledged his advances." She rolled her eyes and looked out the passenger's window. How was this girl always right?

"I know, I just don't want to ruin Berry family bonding time. You haven't been home for almost a year, I'm sure they miss all those after dinner sing-along's you told me about." Mercedes hated feeling like a burden. She had been told she was dead weight far too many times in her short life.

"Look, I told my dad's about you a long time ago." Rachel said taking her eyes off the road for a second to look at her best friend. A hurt looked crossed Mercedes face, she trusted Rachel to keep her secrets. "Hey, don't give me that look, I just told them you didn't have any family to spend the holiday with. They practically begged me to bring you." She the girl gave a curt nod before turning back to look out the window once more. She believed the brunette, but she still had her worries about intruding on another family's special time together.

"But what if…" She was giving her friend a hard time now.

"Mercedes!" Liza jr. yelled reaching over and pinching her friend on the arm, not once taking her eyes off the road ahead.

"Okay, but don't expect me to sing anything with you guys." She hadn't sung anything since she was eleven. She promised herself after what happened to her in the foster home that she would never sing again. Not even one of those catchy credit score jingles. Till this day she kept her promise. She was twenty three now.

"I wouldn't expect anything less." How she and Elphaba jr. even became friends still amazes her.

Rachel was Mercedes overly optimistic Broadway bound roommate and best friend. Mercedes first met Rachel three years ago in a community college course she was taking on Africa during the 1900s. It was a small class and majority of the students were African American, with the exception of one Latin guy and Rachel. The first day of class Rachel sauntered in late, and had taken a seat right next to her. Mercedes purposefully sat far in the back away from all of the other eager to learn students. There were plenty of seats around the room, but Lil Orphan Annie just had to sit next to her. The petite brunette talked Mercedes ear off that day. Broadway this and Broadway that. She decided to place her messenger bag in the seat next to her on the second day, but the chipper girl nicely asked to sit next to her. Not wanting to seem like a total bitch Mercedes asked the girl as nice as possible why she wanted to sit next to her when there were plenty of available seats. Rachel simply said that the curvy girl's ora called to her and that she could tell they would be best friends.

The rest was history.

"We're here little miss sunshine!" A chipper Rachel exclaimed. How this chick could stay cheerful thru a sixteen hour car ride she would never understand. She didn't think Barbra jr. slept the entire trip.

As they pulled into the drive way Mercedes eyed the small house. It wasn't at all like she expected. The ranch style house was painted a beige color that reminded her of the butter cream frosting Rachel used to top her delicious chocolate cupcakes. The grass in the front yard was the greenest Mercedes had ever seen. Nothing about the outside screamed extravagance, but instead seemed warm and welcoming.

"Mercedes come on, your just sitting there drifting off again. " Her roommate called from the front steps of the Berry home. She reluctantly exited the car and stood next to Rachel as they wait for the door to open.

Before Mercedes could blink twice, the front door swung open and she was engulfed in a tight bear hug. Mercedes hated to be touched, especially when it was a stranger doing the touching. She would always inwardly cringe and feel dirty when she shook someone's hand, and particularly when someone hugged her. But this hug felt different, it felt safe and familiar. She sank into the embrace not wanting the sensation to leave. The strong arms pulled away leaving her feeling unwanted again.

"Aren't you a cutie? Leroy look, doesn't she remind you of that talented singer we saw on the Rosie cruise last year." A tall man wearing thick framed glasses said as he tilted Mercedes head to the side muttering something about jaw structure. A shorter caramel colored man swatted at the tall man fawning over her.

"No Hiram, John Claude was a skinny white boy with knobby knees and a bad tan. Hello sweetie, you must be Mercedes, we have heard so much about you." The shorter Mr. Berry copied the actions of his husband and engulfed Mercedes in an equally tight bear hug. This hug also felt like home to her. After a second he pulled away and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Dad, is that your famous _Pot au feu_ that I smell?" Rachel asked receiving a confused look from Mercedes. She knew it had to have been something French because Rachel lived for anything French even though the short girl only knew how to say hello and goodbye in the foreign language. Leroy chuckled.

"Yes muffin, we are having my famous beef stew for dinner, I hope you girls are hungry." The shorter Mr. Berry said while ushering the group into the family home.

Mercedes had to admit that tonight's meal was one of the best dinners she ever had. The food was beyond delicious. The conversation was light and the focus stayed off of her. After spending a few hours with the Berrys Mercedes knew they were good people and she really enjoyed spending time with them.

After dinner she decided to skip dessert and head up stairs to the guest room so she could unpack. Mercedes took her folded cloths and put them in the empty dresser draws, there weren't any hangers to hang her dress in the closet so she decided to fold it up as well. She would ask Rachel for a hanger later. She only brought one pair of shoes, which she removed from her feet and placed under her bed. Feeling all sixteen hours of travel time she figured she would opt for a morning shower instead of her usual nightly one. She lay on top of the red bedspread and drifted off to sleep.

Mercedes awoke with a sudden urge to pee. Moonlight flooded the guest room. It was still dark outside so she figured she didn't sleep long before her bladder decided it wanted to act up. She groggily got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom at the end of the hall. She past Rachel's room first and noticed the door was slightly cracked illuminating a small section of the hallway with moonlight. She decided she would check to see if the girl was awake after she took care of her current problem. She quickly made her way to the bathroom, opened the door and headed straight to the potty.

She didn't need any light to find the toilet.

After she made sure her bladder was completely drained Mercedes stood up and went to turn the light on so she could wash her hands. As soon as the brightness flooded the room she instantly regretted her decision.

There were red splatter spots on the wall that held the light switch. She turned around and found more red splotches on the mirror and the floor. Looking at her reflection in the large mirror Mercedes eyes landed on the glass door of the shower. It was open and looked as if it were painted with the red liquid. Her eyes slowly fell to the shower floor. Her breathing started to pick up. Not liking what she found her eyes snapped shut and she started taking several deep breaths. 'I'm dreaming, yep that is not Leroy Berry lying in a pool of blood. It's not him.' she thought. When she opened her eyes again she knew she wasn't dreaming.

Leroy Berry was indeed lying in a pool of his own blood. He was wearing a light blue silk two piece pajama set that was mostly covered with the sticky red liquid. Lifeless limbs were sprawled out in every direction. His throat was slashed and it looked as if he were bleeding from his chest. She shook her head and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't look any different except for the redness of her eyes.

Mercedes turned the light off, calmly exited to bathroom, and headed for Rachel's room. She pushed the door opened not yet stepping past the threshold. She needed her best friend to tell her that everything was ok.

Rachel was in bed but there was a tall body peering over her on the left side of her bed. The person seemed to be masturbating right beside her best friends face, but Rachel wasn't moving. Mercedes couldn't tell if she was awake or not. As the baseball hat clad stranger spilled his climax on Rachel, Mercedes took that as a sign to high tail it out of there. She ran back to the guest room, quietly closed her door and hid under the bed.

She could here footsteps edge closer to the bedroom door. Her body tensed when the heavy steps stopped in front of her door.

She prayed this monster didn't open the door, but as lucky as she was with anything in her life he did.

Mercedes was shaking. She could hear the door knob turn and the door creek open dangerously slow. All she could see from underneath the bed were a set of black work boots. She stared at the shoes willing them away with her mind. But again her life was never easy. Mercedes followed the boots intently as they passed the entrance of the room and stopped at the closet. She saw the closet door open then close backup a second later, she silently thanked God she couldn't hang up her dress.

The owner of the boots turned so that he was facing the bed. He didn't move, and she felt like she was being hunted, except the hunter didn't know what he was hunting. The man stood for two or three minutes unmoving. 'What the fuck is he doing' she questioned. As soon as the thought crossed her mind the boot clad man walked out of the room not closing the door behind him. She watched the man walk to the stair case and then walk down them. Mercedes let out a shaky breath; she had to come up with a plan and fast.

First she had to wake Rachel so they could get the hell away from the intruder and gets somewhere safe, then they would call for help. 'Sounds good to me' Mercedes thought.

The freaked out young woman slid from underneath the bed and reached for her shoes. She tied up her favorite pair of shoes and cautiously exited the guest room on her hands and knees. She certainly saw the creep go down the stairs, but she had always been a cautious girl. Rachel's door was wide open this time so she scurried inside and rounded the side of the bed. She then stood and looked the girl over, she looked peaceful, Mercedes almost hated to wake her, but they need to get the fuck out of this place.

Mercedes began to gently shake the girl. When she didn't stir she shook her harder, but she still didn't move. The curvy girl began to panic, Rachel was not a heavy sleeper, she should have been fussed at by now about beauty sleep and disturbing the chi. She took a deep breath and checked the woman's pulse. It was steady and calm. Mercedes let out a sigh of relief and wiped the tear that had formed in one of her eyes.

Just as she was about to call sleeping beauty's name out loud she heard footsteps again. Mercedes quickly ducked and slid under the bed. She looked towards the door awaiting the psycho that hurt the Berry family.

Right on time the black work boots entered the room and stood on the opposite side of the bed Mercedes was stationed. She felt the bed dip a little and heard the sheets rustle. The sound of a roll of duck tape being stretched pierced the dead silence that was in the room. 'What does he need tape for?' she questioned from underneath the bed. There was another sound she couldn't quite place followed by a small grunt, both of which came from Rachel.

It felt like an eternity had passed before the intruder started for the door again. When Mercedes heard the familiar creek of the stair case she quickly removed herself from underneath the bed a stood. She was going to continue her efforts in waking Rachel, but the brunette girl was no longer in her bed.

Rachel was gone and that crazy prick had taken her.

Forgetting about her plan to remain calm a stealthy Mercedes raced out of Rachel's room and down the stairs. She stopped at the bottom to see the front door was wide open. Looking out the door she could see Rachel's limp body slung over the tall mans shoulder. He was head towards a small white Winnebago.

The asshole was going to kidnap her best friend. Mercedes watched as the man opened the door to the motor home and went inside.

'I have to do something.' She turned away from the door and headed to the kitchen. The Berry's love to cook, so it was only appropriate they had an assortment of cook wear and utensils. Mercedes scanned the beautiful set of stainless steel knives that sat displayed on the countertop. She trailed her fingers over each knife, thinking of different ways to maneuver the expensive cutlery, she settled for a heavy chef's knife. Michael Meyers would have been pleased with her choice.

Knife in hand Mercedes walked to the living room which was a few feet away from the front door and hid behind the large sofa. She was going to sneak up on this fucker and give him a taste of his own medicine. As she waited for the intruder to return she looked the medium sized room over until her eyes landed on a lanky figure seated in a comfortable looking chair on the far end of the room. It was dark so she couldn't tell who it was. 'Who else could it be, Santa?' She mentally questioned. Curiosity getting the best of the curvy girl she crawled over to the figure with knife in hand. As she got closer she could tell it was Hiram Berry. His body was sitting up, but his head hung low. It looked as if he had fallen asleep in the chair. She called his name from her position on the floor, but he didn't answer. The intruder hadn't returned yet so she stood up and shook Mr. Berry a little harder than she did Rachel the first time, nothing. She checked his pulse, nothing. He was dead too. This can't be happening. These types of things didn't happen in real life. There were some sick people in the world, but Mercedes never expected anything like this to happen to her.

A familiar set of footsteps broke her thoughts and she quickly crotched down and crawled back to her position behind the couch. She heard the stairs creek again signaling that the psycho bastard was going back up stairs.

Mercedes thought about following him but she figured even with a knife he would probably over power her and kill her like he did Rachel's parents. A light bulb went off in her head. She was going to get Rachel out of that damn motor home; she couldn't let that creep kidnap her best friend. Mercedes stood up and rushed toward the front door. She chanced a look at the stair case before she ran out the door, she didn't see anyone.

Making her way to the Winnebago Mercedes opened the door, climbed the three steps and looked around. It was small inside; she slowly walked the quarters taking in her surroundings. There was small kitchenette to her left. One lone coffee mug sat empty in the sink. Further in and to the right there was a seating area that contained restaurant style booth seats and a small round table. A newspaper, opened to the sports page, was the only object on the table. 'So the asshole likes sports huh.' She mused. She continued to walk until she happened upon a closed accordion style sliding door. Figuring this was the bedroom Mercedes entered the room and closed the door behind her.

On the full sized bed in the middle of the tiny room she's found Rachel.

"Rachel, honey we have to get out of here, please wake up." Mercedes called to the girl on the bed.

The aspiring Broadway stars mouth was taped, along with her hands and feet. She quickly checked the girls pulse for the second time that night and just like her father's the brunette was dead.

Mercedes covered her mouth and let out a small sob. She dropped to her knees and scooted next to Rachel's lifeless form. She stroked the girl's hair and quietly said a prayer. As the tears sprang from her eyes, all Mercedes could about think is how she brought trouble were ever she ended up. The Berry's were good people, and she couldn't do anything to help them. She should have never came with Rachel, this was her own fault. The sound of the Winnebago's door opening and closing brought Mercedes out of self loathing. She looked to the accordion door and began to panic. For the third time this evening she hid under a bed.

Just as she guided her foot underneath the double bed the door opened. This time she couldn't see the boots that had caused her so much grief in the last hour or so, and for the first time she heard the fucker speak.

"Wait until you meet Katie, she's finally going to have a playmate. She's going to be so pleased with me" The man said. His voice was kind of deep, and if he weren't bat shit crazy she might have thought he sounded sort of sexy. Mercedes thought she heard him kiss the brunettes girl, but she wasn't sure. The creeper exited the room and closed the door behind him.

As the motor home started to move, Mercedes rolled out from under the bed and sat on the floor next to Rachel's motionless body. Her mind was running ramped with questions.

'Why the Berry's, who would want to hurt them?'

'Where the fuck is he taking a dead body?'

'Who the fuck is Katie and why would she want to play with a dead body?'

'Why didn't he come after her?'

As the motor home jumped and jerked she was able to feel every pot hole, her back was starting to hurt so she leaned against the bed. Mercedes sat thinking until that familiar tired feeling began to loom over her body. She eventually fell asleep but not before saying one last question out loud.

"How the hell am I going to get out of this alive?"

**X0X0X0X0X0X0**

**Alrighty then! WOOT! I'm really excited about this bad boy. I hope y'all are too. What did you guys think about the Berry family massacre? And Mercedes? And the Psycho killer? Tehehehe. I hope you guys enjoyed this new work in progress. I need to catch up on my reads... Feel free to drop a line in the review thingy and tell me what ya think. Sharing is caring :D**

**XOXO Tammy :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! I want to thank you guys for the lovely reviews and alerts, as always they give me life. I absolutely love that everyone loved the juicing of the Berry's. I honestly couldn't imagine another family taking their place. Bitches had to die :D **

*****Ok peeps, so this chap is a little heavy on the naughty language, so don't hate me. Pls forgive any booboos and ENJOY! ;D**

***I don't own ****ANYTHING****, ****not a dammed thang****!**

**Chapter 2**

**The Gas Station**

Heavy tremors coming from beneath her had awoken a sleeping Mercedes from a not so peaceful slumber. Rubbing her eyes she guessed they had hit a rough patch in the road. She stretched and yawned feeling the pain in her limbs from the awkward sleeping position she was in. Looking around the small room she noticed there was a small window to her left. It was pretty high up, but she figured if she stood on her tippy toes she would be able to see out of it. She glanced at her best friends' lifeless form once before quietly heading to the window. It was pitch black out.

The motor home was slowing down. Bright florescent lights flooded the small bedroom. They were pulling into a gas station. Once they came to a complete stop she held her breath and listened for any sign of movement.

She heard the Winnebago's front door open and close. Mercedes saw the tall man exit the vehicle and head toward the gas stations convenience store a few yards away. She figured this was the perfect opportunity to get help. From what the curvy girl could tell, they were the only patrons at the station.

She needed another plan, but before she could even think about what she should do he was headed in her direction.

The slayer exited the store with his head down, but she was able to take in a few details about him. He was dressed in black from head to toe. The only exposed parts of him were his hands. Which were pale at the knuckles and red every other place. She couldn't even describe his face because she hadn't seen it yet. If he got away she wouldn't even be able to tell the police what he looked like.

Instead of reentering to the inside of the motor home he rounded the rear and began to pump gas.

This was perfect.

She could run inside for help and he would be stopped before he could get away. This was defiantly the perfect plan. Giving herself a mental pat on the back, she set the plan in motion.

Mercedes opened the bedroom door and made her way to the front of the Winnebago, but she stopped when she notice a gun on the round table. She thought about taking the gun, but she dismissed the thought, and quickly made her way to the door and exited the motor home. She didn't need a gun; the police would handle that kind of stuff.

Before she did anything rash, she had reminded herself that the killer was still close.

She crouched down and looked underneath the home and was able to see those black work boots. The heal of the boots were facing her, so that had to mean he wouldn't be able to see her leave. She stood and quickly made her way to the convenience store.

As Mercedes made her way inside, little bells on the door chimed signaling her entrance. She quickly hurried to the counter. No one was present so she rung the little bell next to the Slim Jim display. As she waited for the attendant, Garth Brooks Thunder Rolls filled the silence. Her mom used to say this song was the story of her life, and that Mercedes could never trust a man because they would just use her and leave her. She didn't always believe the older woman, but she did when she spoke about life lessons. Her mother died when she was 9, at the hands of one of her many boyfriends.

Mercedes heard talking coming from behind the counter, the sound of a man's voice broke her memory. A tall Asian man walked to the counter, his name tag said Mike. He looked her up and down and arched a jet black eyebrow. She didn't like the way he was looking at her, she felt exposed under his gaze, so she folded her arms over her chest and looked at the cigarette display behind him.

"I said can I help you?" The tall man deadpanned.

"Um, yes, yes you can." She was stumbling over her words, but she still didn't look him.

"So what can I do for you?" He moved his hand gesturing for her to get on with her story.

"That man that was just in here." The Asian man nodded a looked at the motor home thru the glass door.

"Yeah, what about him, are you with him?" She quickly shook her head no.

"No. I actually need your help." She fidgeted at how weak she sounded. Mercedes hated asking people for help, especially men.

"Okay, we covered that part, so what can I help you with?" The annoyance in his tone made her recoil a bit, but she quickly recovered. Squaring her shoulders, she looked at the man and spoke.

"He killed my friend and her family. He has her in the back of that." She looked to the glass door and pointed to the Winnebago at the gas pump. She then looked the man behind the counter dead in the eyes and said, "I need you to call the police."

"What?" He gave her a skeptical look. She didn't understand why he wasn't reaching for a phone or at least asking if she was ok. Isn't that what men liked, helping damsels in distress, or was that only for the beautiful princesses.

"Look, I've been hiding from him and I need your help, please." She gave him a pleading look, but he didn't seem fazed.

"Look lady I don't know what crazy town you're from, but-" He was cut short when a handsome dark haired man came to the counter. Mercedes looked him over, his name tag said Sebastian, and she immediately didn't like him.

Sebastian asked Mike if everything is ok. The Asian man turned the dark haired man around and started whispering. Mercedes couldn't hear what they were saying, but she knew they were talking about her. Sebastian looked over his shoulder giving the curvy girl a sly smirk. When both men turned to face her Sebastian still held his smirk, but Mike didn't seem humored in the slightest.

"Look doll face," Sebastian says as he looks at the clock on the wall, she followed his gaze. "It's almost 3:30, so you need to go back to whatever crack house you came from. We don't have time to entertain your bullshit." He finished a smug look on his face, like he could read her like book. She couldn't decide which man was the bigger asshole.

She glanced at the door again, and saw _him_ coming. She looked at the men behind the counter and then back to the door. The man's head was down, so he probably didn't see her. She needed to hide.

"I can't let him see me, please don't tell him you saw me." Mike looked as if he sympathizes but not Sebastian, his smirk turned into a smile as he nodded a yes with full on amusement.

She ran and hid behind one of the shelves stocked with sweet goodies. She then poked her head to the side of the shelf and saw the two men looking at her as if she had just escaped the loony bin. 'Now they really think I'm high or crazy.' She rolled her eyes at the thought.

The door chimes went off signaling another entrance.

She hears the boots stomping loud and clear, so she holds her breath and prays the crazy psycho isn't in the mood for sweets.

Sebastian speaks first.

"Hi, do you need anything else Mr. good-looking stranger." His voice makes her chance a glance around the shelf once more. She can clearly see two of the three men. Mike was too far off to the side for her to see, but she knew he was still there. The killer looked like a giant compared to the man behind the counter, she figured he was taller than Mike too.

The man only shook his head no.

"So you're the mysterious type huh?" Sebastian's eyebrow arched and a smirk played on his lips.

She couldn't see what the killer was doing, but it had to have been good because the handsome man behind the counter smirk grew into a full smile.

Sebastian looked the man up and down with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He then proceeded to jerk his head in the direction he came before she met him.

Mercedes couldn't see Mike but she heard him scoff loudly and mumble something she couldn't hear clearly.

Sebastian glared at his coworker before he started moving, the boot clad murderer following close behind him.

A couple of minutes had past and she was still hiding. Mercedes didn't know whether or not she should risked begging Mike to call the police again or head back to her dead friend.

Before she had a chance to decide she heard the boots again.

'Maybes he's leaving. I failed again. The creep is going to get away, and it's my fault.' Her thoughts were getting the best of her. She might as well have killed the Berry's herself, she felt like she was responsible for what happened to them.

Mikes voice broke her thoughts.

"Where's Sebastian?" She turned so that she was able to see the killer, and Mike giving him a questioning look.

"He had to clean himself up." The killer said, his deep voice sounding casual and uninterested.

"Yeah, okay…" Mike shook his head as if he understood what the man was saying, but he didn't look all that convinced.

"Let me ask you a question." Before Mike has a chance to say anything the murderer asked his question. "Do you like girls?"

"Yeah, for sure, I'm not gay, so don't get any ideas." The Asian gave the man facing him a small smile.

"No, I'm not gay either. I just wanted your opinion on a friend of mine. "

"Okay…" Mike dragged out the word with a raised eyebrow. She wondered why this crazy man was trying to make chit chat with a store clerk, wasn't he worried about the dead body in his vehicle.

The killer pulled his wallet out from his back pocket and handed Mike a small photo.

"Do you think she's cute?" He asked leaning against the counter, picking up a few Slim Jims.

"I guess." Mike shrugged, passing the photo back to the man who was now eating one of the rope like jerky treats.

"Would you fuck her?" He asked the Asian. Mike had a disbelieving look on his face. Mercedes didn't know where this conversation was going, but she was sure the outcome wouldn't be good.

"Look, I don't-" The tan man started to speak but was cut off.

"Just answer the question, its simple either a yes or a no. Here, look at her real good before you answer." The man dressed in all black said, passing the picture back to Mike. The shorter man looked as if he were concentrating on the picture.

"Um, sure I guess she's pretty fuckable." He said handing the picture back to its owner. The killer positioned the picture in his wallet and placed it back in his pants pocket.

"See that wasn't so bad." Mercedes could hear the smile in his sadistic voice. "Now, how exactly would you fuck her? I'm not asking for anything to crazy, just another simple answer." What kind of sick game of twenty questions was this fucker trying to play?

"I don't have to-" Mike started, but he was cut off again. Apparently this sick fuck liked to be in control.

"Do you like pussy, anal, would you let her suck your dick? She has pretty decent sized tits, would you fuck her tits?" The killer asked another series of questions that made Mercedes cringe at the crudeness of them. This guy was sick. Mike looked shocked at how blunt the guy was being.

"Look dude how about you just leave ok, just take the slim-" He was cut off again.

"Come on bro, if you're not a fag then you have to answer. Right now I'm thinking you quite like the taste of big juicy dick sliding down that pretty little throat of yours. You seem like the type to give and take if you know what I mean. But you could always prove me wrong. Just answer the question and I'll leave you alone after, I promise." Mike seemed to be thinking of what to say. While the killer waited for an answer he opened another tightly wrapped jerky and started eating.

"Ok, I would do it the right way." The Asian said. The taller man chuckled.

"And which way is that boy?" The killer asked and waved his hand, waiting for the man behind the counter to elaborate. Mike stood up straight and smiled a small smile as he spoke.

"Her pussy, I would fuck her pussy long and hard. I would make her take my thick cock in that pretty little pussy until she begged for me to stop. Then I would flip her over and shove my dick in that perfectly round tight ass. She wouldn't be able to walk for days. Are you happy now?" A smirk played on the Asians lips.

"Very." That was the only thing the killer said before he stood straight up and grabbed a few more Slim Jims.

"Good now, have a nice-" The Asian man was cut off yet again. He was opening and closing his mouth but the killer put a finger over his own lips and shushed the shorter man. He then started to tap his boot to a steady beat.

"I love this song. Can you turn up the volume? After this song ends then I promise I'll be out of your thick black Asian hair." Mike looked as if he wanted to say something else, but in the end decided against it.

"Fine, but you have to leave." The killer nodded his head yes and Mike turned around to turn up the music.

Another Tricky Day by The Who was playing, and killer sang along loudly. Mike chanced a glance at her and she pleaded he would get a clue and call the police. She mouthed the words 'call the police' he nodded and reached for the phone.

"What are you doing?" The killer questioned loudly over the music. His voice sounded threatening and she flinched at his tone. Mike also looked taken aback. She saw him swallow the lump in his throat and look at the taller man with wide eyes. He turned down the radio before he spoke.

"Um, I'm calling Sebastian. He should have been back by now." Mercedes had forgotten all about asshole number two, but she thought it was weird he wasn't back from 'cleaning himself up' a long time ago.

"I told you he was busy, so leave him be, I'm sure he wouldn't answer anyway." Mike gave the man a quizzical look, but started punching numbers in the corded phone on the wall anyhow.

"Well, I'm going to call him anyway. He should be up here doing his job, not being lazy or whatever." Mike gave the man one last look as he finished punching the numbers in the phone. He then placed the phone to his ear and glanced at Mercedes once more.

The chorus to Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer started to play from the pocket of the taller man. He put his long index finger in the air as he reached in his pocket and fished out the ringing cell phone. The music stopped playing and he brought the phone to his ear and answered with a cheery greeting.

"Hello. Hello. Hello?" He then took the phone from his ear and shouted into the mouth piece, "Look you fucking piece of shit, didn't your mother teach you its rude not to fucking speak when spoken to. I should slice your fucking throat for this. Or maybe I should fuck your mother in her floppy ass pussy for not teaching you any fucking manners. Better yet ill make you fuck your mother and then ill fuck both of you. How about that you fucking cunt? You like the sound of that, I know I do. See you in hell fuckface. " He hung up the phone and turned to the Asian man. "Fucking prank calls."

Mike slowly hung up the phone he had plastered to his ear and looked that the creep.

"Where is Sebastian?" He asked the taller man. The lump in his throat had returned. Mercedes covered her mouth trying not to let out the noise she knew was going to blow her cover. She swallowed harshly and turned her back to the men for a second trying to compose herself. After taking a few deep breaths she turned her neck around again. The killer brought one of his fingers to his chin and looked to the ceiling. He looked as if he was concentrating hard on his response, but Mercedes knew he was fucking with the Asian man.

"He's… How can I put this? Let's just say he won't be coming back anytime soon or maybe at all." Mike tilted his head to the side and furrowed his brows. She didn't know what to think about the answer the killer had given, but that feeling in the pit of her stomach was on overload. She saw Mike raise his brows and his lips slightly part, He then looked down at something and back up at the man before him.

"I don't think so." The killer spoke while pulling out a gun from its holster and pointing at Mikes head.

"What the-"Mike spoke, but he was cut off again. The tell tell sound of a bullet escaping a gun broke through the air.

Mercedes covered her mouth again as she saw the Asian man fall behind the counter. She could hear the man sputtering blood. Her eyes were watering, she willed herself not to cry, but the tears fell anyway. She turned around and scooted to the middle of the shelf she was hiding behind.

"Fucking pedophiles." The killer said, disgust dripping from his voice. She wiped away the tears on her plump cheeks and thought about the words she just heard. 'What the fuck is that supposed to mean?' Shit was getting weirder and at this point she was in a state of fright.

Moving back to the end of the shelf, she chanced a look at the guy who had just killed her only hope of survival. She saw the killer put on a pair of black gloves, jump over the counter and start to fiddle with what she guessed was the surveillance system. He took the disc out of its slot and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. He was getting rid of the evidence. Her eyes followed his movements until he disappeared to the back of the store, where Sebastian was last seen.

It was quiet. She stood and looked to the left and then the right. She was going to make a run for the phone behind the counter. After taking one step past the shelf, the lights went out. She quickly resumed her position behind the shelf and cursed her luck.

The fucker cut the power. The florescent lights from outside lit up the small store just enough for her to make out her surroundings.

She heard him return to the front of the store. Taking another chance she looked past the shelf. He was headed out the front door, but not before he back tracked and picked up a hand full of what she guesses were Slim Jims, and stuffed them in his pockets.

He finally left the store.

She had to move fast if she had any chance to stop this guy. She stood and headed to the counter.

Mercedes didn't even try to check to see if the man was still alive, she saw Mike get shot right between the eyes. She knew was dead. Figuring that she had seen enough movies to know that there was always a gun under the counter of a convenience store, she felt for one.

Bingo.

Mercedes held up a Colt Python .357 Magnum. She quickly checked the revolvers chamber, and for the first time in hours she felt lucky, it was full. She stuffed the gun in the waist band of her jeans. Fuck the police.

Since the power was out the curvy girl knew the phone line was dead, so she headed to the back of the store.

There was a restroom to her right, the door was slightly cracked and the florescent lights from outside lit the small space.

She pushed the door open wider, and looked around. Her eyes landed on a familiar body lying face down on the floor, it was him. Sebastian's pants were around his ankles, and his ass was completely exposed. There was a puddle of blood starting at his mouth. She didn't know what to do, so she closed the door and looked for a back exit. Finding her way out she moved toward it. She opened the door, and exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding. Making her way completely outside, she made sure not to close the door. She looked around until her eyes landed on a car.

There was a white Ford Taurus parked at the back of the store. It had to belong to one of the dead guys in the store, but she had to make sure. She peeked around the corner of the building and saw that the motor home still hadn't left yet.

She had an idea.

The brown eyed girl went back to the bathroom and searched Sebastian's pockets for keys, his pockets were empty, so she decided to check Mikes.

All he had in his pockets was his wallet and a single tick to Disney's Princesses on Ice. No keys.

She looked around the floor for them, but nothing. She figured the prick snatched the keys off of one of them.

Deciding she was royally fucked; she looked out the glass door and saw the Winnebago hadn't departed yet.

The motor home started up just as a car pulled into the pump in front of it. A man with a dirty blonde head of hair was all she could see. Maybe she could ask this guy for help. He waved to the motor home, and it looked as if the men were having a conversation. The blond man looked to the store, and it felt like he was looking at her.

He nodded his head waved bye to the other driver and the motor home pulled off a few seconds later. She couldn't see which way it went, so she decided she would ask the blond man for help.

Mercedes didn't know if she could trust the blonde man, but she was taking risks tonight so she figured she would chance it.

She opened the store front door and exited the shop. She didn't want to seem eager, but this was an emergency. The curvy girl approached the man feeling helpless all over again. His back was turned to her, so she cleared her throat. Her voice seemed to startle him because he turned around clutching his heart. Once his eyes settled on her he gave her a toothy smile.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but did you see which way the motor home went." She asked, not looking him directly in the eye.

"Uh, Yeah…" He pointed in a direction with his thumb. "That way." She gave him a curt nod and started to walk in the direction he pointed in. He followed her.

"Miss is everything ok?" He asked as he grabbed her arm and spun her around. She was silently crying.

"Yes, I'm fine thank you." She snatched her arm from his grasp.

"I'm sorry, but did I do something to offend you?" He asked with concern in his voice. She turned on her heels and started walking again.

"No, it's just that. Just. Nothing, I have to go." She said over her shoulder.

"Are you walking? In this weather? Alone?" She hadn't even notice it was drizzling and really chilly out. She stopped and turned to face the man.

"I'm not alone." She said. She didn't know why this guy was acting like he cared about her. He was just some random stranger. Strangers were never this nice to her, especially strange men.

"Do you need a lift? I'm actually going that way." He said.

"I need to get to that motor home." More tears poured from her brown eyes, but she didn't wipe them away. Small sobs escaped her lips.

"Did they leave you or something?" He asked. For the first time in their short conversation she looked into his worried green eyes.

"That son of a bitch killed them." She said in a low whisper. He cocked his head to the side and took a few steps towards her.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" She didn't know why she was telling him anything, it wasn't like he was going to believe her.

"I said, he fucking murdered my family, and those guys in there." Rachel was her family. She didn't have anybody until the chatty girl came into her life.

"That guy said the store was closed." She knew it.

"Well he fucking lied. I have to go so I can catch up to him. " She turned and started walking again.

"Shit. Wait, I can give you a lift." He said catching up to her again. This time he didn't grab her arm.

"No." She kept walking up the dark highway.

"Please, if you're telling the truth then he has to be stopped." She turned and looked at the green eyed man. She searched his eyes once more and figured he might actually be concerned.

"Fine." Was all she could say as they turned and started walking to his car.

"But we have to hurry; I know those motor homes can move fast sometimes. We're wasting time." She looked at him like he was crazy, but nodded her agreement anyway.

"I'm Sam by the way." He said as they entered his black on black Audi.

"Mercedes." She said looking at him apprehensively. He smiled at her as he started his car.

"Nice to meet you Mercedes, now let's catch us a killer." He said pulling away from the gas station. She couldn't help but smile at his child like enthusiasm as she settled in her seat. She didn't quite trust this man, but for now she was glad to have someone who believed her.

**X0X0X0X0X0X0**

**OMB! This is the longest chapter I have ever written. I hope the language wasn't too bad, it was all necessary, I promise. So, what did you kind folks think about Sebastian, Mike, and the killer? Some crazy shiznit happened in the chappy, right? Oh, and we finally gets us some Sam! I hoped you guys enjoyed. Now, if you would be so kinds as to lemme have some of your thought, I would love you like a love song. Reviews are really like crack, I swear. I myself have been lame lately by not reviewing, but I will fix that as soon as I free myself from the chains of finals week. Anyway, pls R&R so I can eat them like Pokémon eat those little brown pebble things. I needs ma energy!**

**Xoxo Tammy :D**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Girl I'll be thinking about you worldwide, worldwide, worldwide  
Girl I'll be thinking about you worldwide, worldwide, worldwide**_

**Hi guys! I sat through a Big Time Rush marathon on Sunday, and this damn song won't leave me alone. I would never watch the show alone, but it's something about watching it with my little cousin that makes it right. While I was writing this chapter and singing along to the not so teen sensations, this part seemed so relevant:**

_**It ain't easy to keep on moving city to city  
Just get up and go  
The show must go on so I need you to be strong**_

**.! Craaazzy! **

**Craaazy! How about our babies at prom! I loved it! How perfect are they. *Wipes tears* My OTP is flawless. Now I need ppl to write prom fics with proposals and after prom shenanigans and just, yes! I'm happy! :D**

***WARNING: This chap has some child abuse mentioning's in it. I hate any crime against a child and this one specifically rubs me all the wrong ways, but this was a necessary. These parts can be skipped if you don wan to read them. Ppl like this make me sick. This quote just says it all:**

"**Yes they deserve to die, and I hope they burn in hell!"**

**-Samuel l. Jackson- A Time to kill (I LOVE anything Mr. Jackson does, awesome actor)**

**Anyway, on with the show! I hope you guys will forgive any booboos, and ENJOY!**

**Chapter 3**

**Memory Lane / Help…Maybe?**

**X0X0X0X0X0  
**

_****FLASHBACK****_

_**November 1997**_

"Look here bitch, stop fucking playing games with me. Where is my fucking money?" Mercedes heard a man say.

An eight year old Mercedes was playing dolls with her mom when the doorbell rang. Her mother made her drop her dolls and told her to hide under the bed. She tried to ask her mother why, but all she did was shush the little girl and told her not to make a sound. Mercedes knew something bad was happening, because her mother would always make her hide under the bed when bad things happened. The doorbell rang again and her mother kindly greeted the stranger at the door. After the visitor entered their small apartment things quickly escalated and now they were arguing.

"I don't have the money." Her mother said in a hushed tone.

"I gave you a two week extension and you still don't have my money?" The man asked in an oddly calm voice.

"No." her mother uttered in an even lower tone.

"I can't fucking hear you, speak up hoe." The man raised his deep voice ever so slightly.

"I said no. if you just give me another week I can get your money." Mercedes could only see her mothers' bare feet and the all white high top sneakers the man was wearing.

"FUCK THAT, I want my money Carmen, and I want it before I leave up out of here." She saw her mother take a step back. Mercedes covered her ears because the man was yelling loud and she hated when people yelled.

"I said I don't have it. Can I pay you another way, maybe we could…" she saw her mom take a step forward stand on her tippy toes, but she quickly stumbled backwards and fell.

"Bitch please, I don't want yo scrawny ass. I wouldn't touch that stank between yo legs if YOU paid me, and we both know you aint got shit." Her mother stood, but didn't come close to the man again.

"Fuck you." The stranger chuckled at the praise.

"No thanks. Now, shut the fuck up and quit stalling." He took a step forward.

"I told you Manny, I don't have your money." The man in the white sneakers laughed louder this time. Mercedes could hear him even with her hands over her ears, so she pushed her hands on them harder and started humming the theme song to Happy Days. After the laughing clamed, she uncovered her ears and tried to will the man away with her mind. He didn't move, but instead continued to speak.

"See, its hoes like you that think they slick. Just because you look harmless don't mean shit. Fucking vampire, that's what the fuck you are Carmen. Bleeding dudes dry just so you can live with yourself. I bet you would even give up that brat of yours just so you can keep fucking around. Shit, I wouldn't be surprised if you had her turning tricks too."

"Don't you fucking dare talk about my baby like that." Mercedes knew they were talking about her now, but she didn't know why.

"Why, as soon as she's old enough to take a dick she going to turn out just like you. Fucking at thirteen, pregnant at fourteen, and tricken' at sixteen. She got the best teacher around, apple falls from the trees. Some shit like that."

A loud smack echoed through the tiny apartment. Mercedes saw the man stalk forward. Suddenly her mother was up against the wall with her feet dangling a few inches from the ground.

"You got some nerve bitch." The man said and then threw the petite woman on the bed. Mercedes heard her mom gasping for air.

"Fuck you Manny." She said through gritted teeth. The bed dipped and the eight year old started to feel the pressure on her legs. It didn't hurt, but she couldn't feel her toes anymore.

Mercedes heard muffled sounds and grunts coming from above her. She saw her mother's hand reach under the bed and grab a black shoe box. She quickly flipped the lid and snatched the item so fast that Mercedes was only able to see a silver blur. The movements on the bed ceased and she saw her mother's feet scurry to the other side of the room. The bed dipped again as the white sneakers slowly made their way to the petite woman. It was quiet so Mercedes uncovered her ears and tried to listen. The man spoke first.

"You aint got the balls. You just a scared bitch that aint gon' never be nothing but a tricking hoe. You work for me and that's all you gon' ever-" The man was cut short by the sound of a gunshot.

Mercedes let out a squeak and quickly covered her ears again. The ringing sound was loud and she felt like her ears were going to bleed. Trying so hard to drown the ringing out Mercedes didn't notice her mother calling her until she felt a hand touch her wrist.

"Babycakes, come out from under there, we have to go." Her mother said as she grabbed for the little girl under the bed. Mercedes was confused, and she felt like she wanted to cry, but her fear kept her numb. So she asked her mother.

"Momma, what happened?" Carmen helped her daughter stand, but only spoke after a minute of looking into the pair of big brown eyes that she could relate to once upon a time.

"Nothing sugar, now pack a bag and do it quickly." Mercedes was old enough to know that when her mother said 'pack a bag' it meant that they were going far away and that she could only take what was important. One pair of shoes, some clothes, and a couple of toys, everything else was replaceable.

"Are we moving again? I don't want to leave, I just started making friends." They had been in the same apartment for nearly six months, and the little girl was finally getting comfortable with her surroundings.

"You will make new friends, I promise." Her mother had already started packing her own bag and was now searching for the cash she stored in the box spring of the bed.

"But mommy I-" Carmen quickly shot up and grabbed her daughter by both arms and shook her lightly. The little girl squirmed and her mother loosened a grip a little.

"Look, quit fucking whining, we have to get the hell out of here. Do what the hell I tell you, or ill leave you here with his punk ass. Am I clear?" for the first time Mercedes noticed the man with the white sneakers lying on the floor less than two feet away from her feet. She saw the blood pooling around his torso and wanted to cry at the sight of it, but her mother quickly brought her gaze back to her and spoke tranquilly.

"Look Mercedes, I had to protect us. Bad men will try and hurt you, but you can't let them. Don't cry, breathe and think of happy thoughts. Him dying, it was for the best, okay. Mommy loves you." The petite woman then hugged her little girl and told her what to do. Mercedes didn't shed a tear as she packed all of her important belonging and left the apartment. They were moving and all Mercedes could do was trust that her mother knew what she was doing this time. Another city and another place to call home, or so she always thought.

**X0X0X0X0X0X0**

_**March 1998**_

Carmen Jones loved men, or so you would think. Men loved her (and some women), but she actually hated them.

Carmen had what everyone wanted. She was petite in frame; she had warm caramel colored blemish free skin, and big brown eyes that could hypnotize both sexes without even trying. Long jet black wavy hair outlined her heart shaped face. Her over all look screamed innocent and vulnerable. She was anything but those things. Carmen Jones was a wolf in sheep's clothing. She wasn't always man-eater, but when certain unexpected events in life happen they can shape the future of even the brightest of stars.

Mercedes thought her mother was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.

It had always been just the two of them. Mercedes never asked about her dad, and Carmen never brought him up. Her mother slipped up once and said how every feature on her face, even her skin tone was his, but not her eyes. Those big brown doe eyes were all Carmen. The petite woman wasn't religious, but she prayed her daughter would never have to live through the things she had.

Constantly traveling, and constantly meeting new 'friends'. Every time Mercedes finally got comfortable with her surroundings her mother always told her to pack a bag.

After staying with one of Carmen's 'lady friends' for a few months, the duo finally settled in with a man named Troy. Mercedes hated Troy the most out of all her moms' 'friends'. The short husky man would always make kissy faces or just stare at her for a long time. He was creepy and she was weary of him at all times. Her mother never left her alone with Troy but once. They had only been staying with him for three weeks before he made his move.

Carmen decided to go to the market, a block away, because they were low on groceries and Troy needed another pack of cheep stinky cigarettes. Normally Mercedes would accompany her mother, but it was Saturday morning and her favorite shows were on. Her mom smiled at her and told her she would be back soon, and then left. Not even 10 seconds after the door closed Troy took a seat next to the eight year old. He was so close she could feel the heat radiating off of him.

"I like this show too, it's so funny." The husky man quipped.

Mercedes didn't speak; she only looked wearily at him and turned back to her show.

"My favorite character is Monica. She's so cool and can really kick some bad guy butt."

She didn't want to talk to him, but Monica Beau was her favorite character too. So she caved.

"Mine too." She said without looking at him.

It was quiet for a minute until Monica said a witty line that drew a hearty laugh from the eight year old. Troy was laughing too. She smiled wildly at him and he started tickling her. Mercedes didn't notice Troy had stopped laughing when began to tickle her. She was super ticklish, so she started to squirm and wiggle under his feather light touches. He started at her stomach, then moved to her underarms, and finally ended up settling on her chest. She wasn't laughing as hard anymore. He pushed her down on the couch and straddled the young girl. She was feeling uneasy because her mother taught her that no one should be allowed to touch her private areas, but she froze under his gaze. She watched as the husky man licked his lips and smiled.

"You're so pretty." He said rubbing her outer thighs. He then leaned down and kissed her cheek, then her jaw, and finally settled on nuzzling her neck. She shuddered under his light caresses. Feeling her movements he lifted his head and spoke again.

"And you taste so sweet." He said before he leaned down again and pecked her on the corner of the lips. Just as he moved his hands to the button on her pajama pants the door swung open.

"So they didn't have your ciggs Troy, so I got you the Camels. Now, don't bitch about how you don't-" Carmen Jones froze at the sight before her. Mercedes looked over the husky mans shoulder to see her mother standing there stone faced with a large brown paper sack in her hands. The young girl looked at her mother who was looking at Troy, who was still on top of Mercedes looking at Carmen. It was silence for a few seconds, and then the husky man spoke.

"Minnie, Baby, it's not what it looks like. Sweet cheeks had something in her eye… and … and I was helping her get it out." He was lying and Mercedes tried to speak but for the first time, but her mother looked at her with a look that the young girl couldn't quite place. The woman then mouthed an apology to her little girl and headed into the master bedroom.

Troy then let out a sigh of relief and turned to the young girl. He wiggled his eyebrows and slowly lifted his heavy body off of the eight year old, but not before he cooed in her ear.

"Next time Sweetcheeks." She hated that name. As soon as he was fully off of her Mercedes sat up and tried to ignore the holes the husky man was boring into her. Seconds later she heard her mother come back into the living room.

The brown bag was no longer in her hands, but instead there was a shiny silver pistol. The gun was pointed at Troy. The petite woman's eyes never left their target as she spoke to her daughter.

"Baby, listen to momma. Go get under the bed and cover your ears ok." Mercedes nodded but didn't move.

"Come on baby, I'm going to need you to move fast okay. Tell me you can do that." eyes still on her target Carmen heard her daughter leave the room and close the door behind her. Once Mercedes was out of the room Troy spoke.

"Girl, put that thing away before you hurt yourself." He said from the couch, not taking the tiny woman with the gun seriously.

"Son of a bitch, if you so much as look at my baby sideways I will shoot your dick off." Troy saw the truth in her eyes and his tone turned serious.

"Look Baby, I didn't do anything, if you want to blame someone blame that little slut you call yourself raising. She came on to me. She's just like her whore of a momma." Carmen squared her shoulders and spread her feet shoulder with apart, she then spoke calmly to the sweaty man on the couch.

"Did you touch my girl Troy? Don't fucking lie to me either because I'll shoot your dick off on sheer principle."

"So what if I did, you aint going anywhere, so shut the fuck up. You need me, shit, you need this dick."

"Answer the goddamn question Troy. Did you touch my baby girl?" The husky man let out a chuckle and sucked his teeth.

"Look, you want the truth?" He stood and stretched.

"Stop fucking with me and answer the damn question." He chuckled again, but she shook the gun at him until he stopped.

"Since you asked so nicely," the next words he spoke were low and unwavering as he stalked towards the petite lady," I was one minute away from sliding my fingers deep-" The husky man didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. She pulled the trigger.

In the bedroom with her hands covering her ears and her favorite song being hummed a thoroughly frightened eight year old heard the sound of a gun being discharged. Tears threaten to prick the back of her eyes but she followed her mother's advice. A few deep breaths later her nerves were a bit calmer, but she was still terrified. The door opened and Carmen entered. Mercedes dropped her hand from her ears and waited for her to speak.

"Honey bee, come out, we have to go." The eight year old scurried from under the bed and saw her mother was already packing a bag. Without any commands being necessary she followed her mother's lead and packed her own bag. She didn't ask any questions and her mom didn't offer any explanations.

After they finished packing Carmen gave Mercedes the keys to her car and told the little girl to wait for her, she did as she was told. Making her way out the bedroom Mercedes saw Troy. He was on his back in the middle of the living room with his hands on his bloody crotch. He was moaning and shouting bad words at her, but she quickly passed him and head for the car.

Less than five minutes later the caramel skinned woman exited the house with her bag. When she entered the car Mercedes noticed the woman smelled funny, almost like a gas station, but again she didn't ask questions. As they drove off, the eight year looked in the side mirror at yet another place she would never be able to call home. Smoke was coming from the front window.

The duo drove for hours until they ended up at a house Mercedes would recognize anywhere. She couldn't wait to see her grandmother. She finally felt like this would be her home.

_****FLASHBACK OVER****_

**X0X0X0X0X0X0**

Her memories were interrupted by the green eyed man driving.

"Can I ask you a question." She looked at the clock and then to him. They had only been driving fifteen minutes and still had not caught up with the motor home.

"I guess." She said in a low whisper. He turned to her and looked in her eyes for a brief second before he faced forward again. She saw his brows furrow as he asked his question.

"How do you know this guy killed all those people?" She gave him a brief rundown of what happened and how she ended up at the gas station, but she never elaborated on anything. She still didn't completely trust him, but she didn't feel all that wary around him either. Figuring since he was helping her she owed him a bit more information.

"I saw him." he nodded and pressed his plump lips together forming a tight thin line.

"You saw him kill all of _them_? I mean how many people are we talking about here?" He still had his eyes on the road. She turned to face him in her seat as she spoke.

"I only… I only saw him kill one of the clerks, but I know he killed four other people, for god's sake Rachel's dead body is in the back of the motor home." She said the last part with a raised voice. She didn't need this guy questioning her sanity. She knows the truth and if he wasn't going to help, she could so this on her own.

She jiggled the door handle trying to make her escape. He quickly turned to her and smacked her hand.

"What the hell?" she was holding her tingling hand to her chest while shooting him a death glare.

"No. What is your problem? You can't jump out of a moving car. Are you crazy?" She took offences to his comment and hit him on the shoulder.

"I am not crazy. If you don't believe me then you can let me out right now and I can do this on my own." He rubbed his hurt shoulder and looked her over. She didn't look like a liar, but he had to be sure. He saw her raise her fist again, but he moved out of the way and spoke.

"Whoa! Look, I know a little something about the system. If we have no real evidence and you're the only eye witness, the odds are not in our favor." She lowered her fist and thought about his words. He was right, but why was he adding himself into this. Maybe he did believe her.

"But you saw his face." She thought that could at least give them an edge.

"Yeah I did, but that has nothing to do with the murder Sweet cheeks." He just had to give her _that_ nickname. Her anger was back.

"Don't call me that, ever again, understood?" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying not to think of her past.

"Fine Mercy, but to be completely sure we need more information." There he goes with the nicknames again, but she didn't quite mind this one. She nodded her head in agreement, and he didn't ask any more questions.

The sat in silence for a few minutes until Mercedes thought of the probability of a missing piece to that they needed to stop the killer

"Katie." She had forgotten all about the remark the psycho made to Rachel's dead body. Sam turned to face Mercedes with a quizzical look crossing his features. She thought he sort of looked childlike and innocent.

"Who's that?" He asked. She didn't know who this person was either.

"I don't know, but I heard him say something to my friend about how she was going to be a good playmate for Katie." He faced the road again but seemed lost in thought.

"So, do you think Katie is his accomplice or something?" Neither of them was looking at each other as they thought of the possibilities.

"I don't know, maybe, or maybe he's keeping her hostage or something." That prospect struck something in Mercedes. She figured with the level of psycho they were dealing with hostages didn't sound so far out.

"If there are more innocent people involved, then we have to help." Sam said. She looked at her hands but didn't speak.

A few more minutes past and she resumed getting lost in her thoughts again.

"Mercy" Sam's new nickname for her brought her back to the present. She looked at him and noticed he was smiling wide and his index finger was pointing ahead. She followed his finger and nearly jumped out of her seat.

There it was, the Winnebago, a couple hundred feet in front of them.

"There it is. Don't get to close; we don't want him noticing us." He smiled and humped his shoulders. The Audi's headlights went out and slowed down a bit.

"He won't, I can be a very stealthy driver. I once had this car accident where the other driver didn't even notice me making a perfectly legal turn. I mean how could he have not seen me I was right there. Crazy right, I'm just that incognito on the road." She wasn't listening to anything he was saying.

"I agree." He looked at her and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"What, that I'm a ninja driver. I guess-" She cut him off but looked in his eyes as she spoke.

"No. I agree that we need to help Katie." He nodded and turned back to the road.

It was all her fault that everyone was dead, so the least she could do was help save an innocent person. Again herself hating thoughts were broken by Sam.

"Can I ask you another question?" She sighed loudly and looked out her window.

"We have already played this game." She thought they had gotten over the murder questions.

"No. No. It's nothing like that; it's actually kind of personal." She was taken by surprise. He actually sounded nervous.

"Oh, then no. No questions." She wasn't about to talk about herself with this guy, sharing information about herself with anyone was out of the question. It has taken Rachel over a year to get Mercedes life story, even then she didn't tell it all. At this point the only personal question Sam could get the answer to was her favorite flavor ice cream.

"Okay." After that they didn't talk for almost an hour.

Mercedes perked up as she saw the motor home slow down and turn into a secluded roadway. She and Sam looked at each other with excited looks, finally feeling like they were getting somewhere.

As she looked out the window all she could see was darkness and tall trees. It was after 5am and the sun still hadn't appeared, the rain had long stopped, but the clouds remained dark and heavy. She narrowed her eyes hard to where she could see faint lights beyond the trees. As they kept driving more lights appeared, but they were spread out by multiple acres. She also noticed that mailboxes mixed in with the trees so she guessed those lights belonged to houses.

The car stopped and she heard Sam speak.

"What the-" She tilted her head and looked at him like he were crazy. He didn't acknowledge her look but instead, without taking his focus off the scene ahead, turned her jaw straight ahead. She was going to make a catty remark about him touching her when red and blue lights caught her focal point.

She blinked a couple of times and took in the sight before her. The motor home had come to a complete stop.

The killer was out of his vehicle talking to a police officer. The duo kept their eyes on the two men in front of them. Mercedes thought that maybe the officer was going to arrest the guy, but that thought quickly flew out the window when she saw the two men hug. She and Sam looked at each other, both with curious looks on their faces. The sound of the police siren brought them back to the sight in front of them.

The officer was back in his car driving away and the killer was waving at the retreating sedan. The killer reentered his vehicle and started forward.

"What the-" It was her turn to look stupefied.

At this point Mercedes figured that Sam was right when he said the police wouldn't believe her. They were on their own. The twosome resumed following him again, but only for a minute before he turned into what she figured was his house. Sam stopped at the entrance and they both followed the tail lights until they disappeared far beyond a set of trees.

"Do you want me to follow him?"

"No, we should wait a little longer and make sure he doesn't come out."

"Okay, but do you mind if we get some food, I was going to pick up some snacks before all this happened." She didn't even think that maybe he had other plans before she commandeered his time. Feeling pretty light headed from hunger herself, she gave him the signal.

"Great, I saw this diner like a mile back. I could go for some coffee and a stack of waffles. You must be starving too." He was about to turn the car around before she stopped him so she could write down the address.

After she obtained the information the duo set out to find the diner. They needed a plan, but she would think of one while she settled her rumbling tummy.

**X0X0X0X0X0X**

**Yaaaaay! So I hope you guys liked this chap. It took me long enough right? I hope this put another piece to the puzzle as to why Mercedes acts like she does. Her life is just fucked up. I had to lol at some of the reviews, just toooo funny. Anyway one of my Shenny fics and two of my Blackwater fics (haven't even checked Samcedes yet) updated today, so I'm off to read those. I'm just so happy! Reviews and things make my everything. Don't be shy! Love yall!**

**Xoxo Tammy :D**


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